A/N: Wow, it's been a couple weeks, eh? Ha... ha... I missed this website a lot. I have had heaps on my schedule, plus absolutely no ideas for the upcoming chapters, and then a mental breakdown when I realised how sh** this story was. I'll edit everything, I'll have to, but only after I manage to get through this whole story. Sorry for everything!

A huge, big thank you too all these superheroes:

Angelgirl18647, BerryEbilBunny, Black Bat Girl, Cinomen, GorgeousChaos, Misa3000, MusicLoverBLD, Ninja Bagel, Phantresss212012, Saturngirl16, Zatanna Carrile, ZeroV, billyisabelo, ingrid, littlea16, maewander25, marinelife2299, spitfireforever, star-eye, the royal bookworm of all dork, thestoryreader99, Arrowlover17, BittyCatt, doggybye, kateygirl7, PaaaalomaH, Pen Name Enter Here, PolkadotBunny, PythianPickles, jennelyn12, Amissproduct54, hanjoh1, roseliehale1, AmeliaSkellig, Cst . Reader, Gia2000, shelllabey, Princess Anna of Arendelle, Clara221b, slyterin955, wicked . faith10, youngjusticewriter, Jinxedandhexed, Lyndea, 103lawrencium, Indigo Tides, Markus Wolfe, blacktarget, fiza tiza, randommonkeyz998, JordanAlexis, SB2Lazy, lovepup33,

Chapter 10: Aftermath

After Roanoke Island, Artemis didn't leave her mom's side that night as the two women ate dinner in front of the television, watching reruns of their favourite reality TV show. It was something they did together often since her mother's release, but the archer never realised how much nights like these really meant to her.

She had already lost her mother once before, but back then the blonde had known where she was and when she would see her. But it had been different today. Artemis hadn't known where her mom was or when she would turn up- or if she was even alive at all- and the fear had stripped the archer's defences, leaving her vulnerable and shattered. Except, Wally had been there.

As annoying, bull-headed and stupid as the speedster could be, he had been there for her. His strong arm had left a trail of warmth on her back, and it had seeped into her heart even though she'd been fighting to keep outsiders out for as long as she could remember. For a moment, though she had been comforted by it, she had felt incredibly guilty.

Artemis Crock was lying to her teammates, her friends, and most of all, to a certain obnoxious speedster who had somehow become someone to her. He was no longer the immature jerk who hated her for being a replacement, but he was a friend who had been there at her lowest. He had seen the side Artemis showed to no one, and she had been touched that he had comforted her without a sign of pity or disgust in his eyes at her moment of weakness.

Though she was glad and relieved- so relieved- that her mom was back and that they had succeeded, her eyes constantly strayed to her phone on the coffee table.

She wondered if the Wests had reunited like she had done with her mother- engulfing each other in giant welcome back hugs and takeout for dinner- and a smile graced Artemis' features.

"Artemis, why are you still here?" Paula's amused voice interrupted her musings.

She blinked, before moving her eyes from the screen to look at her mom with a puzzled expression.

"Huh?"

Her mother rolled her eyes, before staring back at the moving screen. "Don't you have a phone call to make?"

Artemis' eyes widened and her voice stuck in her throat as she spluttered, "What? Of course not, mom. I want to spend some time with you."

"You can't fool me, Artemis. I'm paraplegic, not blind."

Her mother's dark eyes locked with hers and Paula smiled, tilting her head towards Artemis' phone on the table.

"Go. I'll free you for five minutes."

Artemis stared at her mom, her mouth opening and closing in shock. "Um?"

Paula laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'll still be here. Just go," she flicked her fingers in a shooing motion, and Artemis stood up slowly in a daze.

She picked up her phone, and moved to her room, not before shooting a last look at her mother, who was watching the TV with a knowing smile curled on her lips.

The door clicked behind her, and she moved to the window sill to climb out onto the emergency exit, before dialling his number into her phone.

Wally had answered after two rings. "Quick, what's the colour of my suit?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow, but her lips had curved upwards infinitesimally at his chirpy voice.

"Didn't they teach you colours in primary school, Kid?"

Wally snorted. "Wrong. It's yellow. Like yellow hello? It rhymes, see?"

"Fantastic. Great job, Wally. Now you know your colours and rhymes."

"You're a bi-"

"-Wally," warned a feminine voice in the background, and the speedster winced before muttering a quick apology.

Artemis cracked a smile, shaking her head as her hair lifted from her shoulders when a gust of wind blew past her apartment.

"Say hi to your mom for me."

Wally beamed at her request as he headed to his room. "Of course. Will do. How are... How are your parents?"

This time, it was Artemis' turn to snort. "My mom's great. I don't know whether I should be disturbed that she thinks I'm best buddies with the team now and had to call you guys, or that I have a boyfriend I needed to talk to."

As soon as the words left Artemis' lips, her cheeks coloured for the first time in months and she wanted to smack her forehead into the metal barrier in front of her.

There was a moment of silence before Wally asked, amusement evident in his voice with a touch of embarrassment unnoticed by Artemis, "Doesn't this make me the boyfriend?"

Artemis swallowed and chuckled airily. "No, course not."

"You can't blame amnesia this time."

"That's not even funny, West. That's never going to happen in a million years," she retorted, harsher than she had intended. But it was true. Someone like Wally West was unattainable. He wasn't tainted by the shadows and he was like the sun, always shining brightly whilst the other planets gathered around his undying warmth.

Artemis liked to think that she was Pluto, the furthest planet from the sun who had turned out not to be a planet after all. That was her, the one playing a role she had wanted for a long time, but still not quite belonging. The one with the extra baggage that her friends were to never find out.

The wind continued to blow in her face, and she could hear the faint noises of the TV in the living room along with Wally's breathing on the other end.

"Look, Wally. I didn't mean it like that. You're a good friend," she sighed, staring at the stars above her.

Wally laughed, almost too enthusiastically. "It was a joke, Artemis."

Little did Artemis know, Wally had slid down to the floor in his room during the awkward silence after her bitter reply, and he now stared at his astronomy mobile above his desk. The archer always seemed so far away and isolated, like the moon. Whenever Wally thought he had finally caught her up close, she seemed farther away.

Wally sighed inaudibly, leaning back so his head rested against his door. He forced an upbeat tone as he continued, "But you just admitted we're friends."

Friends. That's all we'll ever be, Wally thought. But if it meant that he could see her, hear her laugh, and hear her voice in his ear on late nights on the phone- it was enough. For now.

"I guess we are," she surprised him by replying. "Hey. Listen, Wally. I just- I wanted to thank you for..." The archer trailed off.

Wally's eyes closed and he smiled. "What are friends for? Besides, I wanted to thank you too."

Artemis' head cocked in confusion. "Uh, for what?"

Wally grinned, and Artemis had an inkling he was even though she couldn't see him. "Just stuff," he answered.

"Well, I'm thanking you for just stuff too," she said sarcastically and he laughed.

"I got to go," Wally said, his tone oddly disappointed. "Unfortunately the world just had a crisis, but school will still be on."

Artemis frowned. "Don't remind me."

"Bye, Artemis. Good night and don't let the bed bugs bite."

"What are you, five?"

Wally chortled. "Bye!"

She muttered a quick farewell, before the line ended and Artemis collapsed onto her bed facedown with a smile on her face.

Phone calls and texts became second nature to them, and Artemis wasn't sure how it had happened but she liked it. She liked his early good morning texts and his late good night texts. She liked his funny selfies that he sent her in the middle of boring school days. She liked that he cared about what she did, or how she felt and if Zatanna had anything to say, the magician supposed that Wally might have a little thing for her. Except it was Wally, and Artemis was sure he would flirt with the microwave if she threw a skirt over it.

Besides they were friends, and despite the short time they had started being friends, Artemis felt like she had known the Kid Flash for years.

It was always Wally though, who started the texts and the brief conversations they had over the week, and on the tenth of November at a quarter to midnight, Artemis found herself staring at the white screen of her phone.

The top of the screen read 'To: Wallaby the Hero' (the second part had been added by an unknown culprit when her phone had been left on the kitchen counter during training), and Artemis stared at the two words that detailed her message. 'Happy Birthday.'

Her thumb hovered on the 'send', and the archer bit her lip in hesitation. Sure, they had put their differences aside since last week, and Robin had tipped Artemis on the significance of November eleventh, but the archer was still reluctant.

The speedster would probably get a hundred birthday texts, and with Robin's tech-savvy skills, they would no doubt be one-of-a-kind messages. Artemis wasn't good with sentiments, and the only thing she could come up with made her cringe with disgust.

She wasn't even sure why she was mulling over a stupid birthday text until she realised she did care. About Wally's birthday, about what he thought of her- about everything. The thought caught her off guard and she stared at the text, scared of what it was beginning to mean to her, and with a frustrated groan, she flipped it over screen down and went to sleep.